A new fleet of bomb-disposal robots are being manufactured by skilled Coventry workers for the British Army.

Remotec UK, based in Quinn Close, in Manor Park, Whitley, was awarded the £65million contract last month to provide a new fleet of the latest Cutlass robots.

For more than 10 years Remotec, a subsidiary of Northrop Grumman, has been the sole supplier of the old Wheelbarrow-class bomb disposal robot.

They will now be replaced by the Cutlass, with 80 being made in Coventry.

Wendy McGowan, managing director of Remotec UK, said: "Cutlass will provide the Ministry of Defence with a step change in capability, via a robot that is capable of adapting to new innovations in the world of bomb disposal."

The new robot, which has taken five years to develop, offers the very latest technology.

The manipulator arm is equipped with a state-ofthe-art gripper and has greater movement and agility inside limited spaces, such as the interior of a car.

It is able to creep along at deliberately slow speeds for delicate operations and may accelerate to high speeds to enable rapid travel.

The six-wheeled design offers mobility on all types of hard and soft terrain and in all weather conditions.

Dr Graham Thornton, vice-president of business development for Northrop Grumman, said: "We are very excited about this contract.

"It builds on our existing long-standing close relationship with the MoD and demonstrates our ability to create strong industry partnerships leading to the robust application of leading edge technologies."